Dissecting Blue Flowers
by TwistedKat
Summary: Crane knew Henri Ducard, or Ra's Al Ghul, would find him eventually. He hadn't expected it to be so soon
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N – **I probably shouldn't start a new story but the plot bunnies attacked me, and believe me they ain't as pretty as they sound._

_**Spoilers – **Set after first movie. Doubt there will be any spoilers (unless you haven't watched the first movie) but you never know. Mentions of the second movie as well._

_**Warnings – **This may turn in to slash. I'll give due warning. Mature rating is currently for language, violence and wonderful insanity._

_**Disclaimers – **I most obviously do not own Batman Begins or the Dark Knight or the characters. _

_Normal Italics – Cranes thoughts_

_**Bold Italics – Scarecrows thoughts**_

**1: Scarecrow Finds a Home**

He knew Henri Ducard, or Ra's Al Ghul, would eventually find him. It was only a matter of time. The revelation that the man was alive didn't really come as a shock to the exhausted doctor. He recalled a saying, "evil never dies", though he honestly could not recall who had said it. His mind was still shifting, an eternal maze of flying bats and manic laughter. He knew the laughter was probably coming from him, the bats though… Some man was staring at him. Ah yes. "Good evening Ra's" He all but hissed at the blurred but unmistakable figure.

"Doctor Crane" the blur began but laughter bubbled forth from the crazed man, ripping at the throat and causing the older man to frown.

"Scarecrow. They call me Scarecrow." The manic smile did not deter his visitor at all.

A small sigh. Did the blur just pinch the bridge of his nose? He wasn't sure. _'The bridge of his nose or the bridge of my nose?' _He was starting to feel confused. What the hell did this blur want? Why was it pinching his nose? He'd barely escaped the Narrows alive, his mind buzzed and swirled, his head hurt, and Ra's Al Ghul… Ah yes, the blur.

"Very well, Scarecrow", Ducard stopped to see if the shivering man on the floor was going to interrupt him again. "I believe it's time to reacquaint yourself with the laboratory. We need you to make more toxin."

Crane stared at the blur. Was he serious? How long had it been since the Narrows? How long did one take to return from the dead? The figure seemed to read his mind.

"It has been almost a month since you released the toxin into Gotham, Dr Crane." Jonathan blinked. Had it really been that long? "It appears most have received the vaccine, therefore rendering the toxin unusable." The man paused and looked at Crane's tensed form. "Worse, people seem to be forgetting it happened."

He felt Scarecrow growl, _**'They forgot about me? They can't forget about me!' **_He cringed. Scarecrow's rage was almost deafening. The blur that was Ducard – _'Ra's'_ – cocked his head questioningly and then disappeared from his line of sight. Scarecrow continued to rant and fume when suddenly the world became clearer. He waited until the man stepped back before adjusting his glasses. An unnecessary move, but one he felt he had to do. He couldn't remember the last time he had worn his glasses. Now that he thought about it, where had Ghul found his glasses? He ran his finger round the rim. They weren't his glasses. He shrugged and gave the older man a calculating look; A look which failed spectacularly since he was still sitting on the apartment floor.

Most people would have thought this was the moment to get up, dust themselves off and try to pull together whatever dignity they had left. Jonathan, however, thought this was completely unnecessary and continued to glare at the trespasser from his spot on the floor. Scarecrow had finally stopped fuming. Scratch that, Scarecrow had stopped altogether. He briefly wondered where his friend popped off to, and then remembered that the immortal Ra's Al Ghul was still in his room waiting for the good doctor to do his bidding. Funny how easy it was to forget things nowadays. He glared at the man; the man glared back. He would have to be eloquent about this.

"Get fucked." Scarecrows timing was impeccable as ever. He would've laughed, but it's rather hard when someone has you hoisted in the air by your throat. For a panic driven second he was back in the basement of the asylum, staring at the burning eyes of the bat. Unlike the Bat Man, however, Ra's Al Ghul did not look annoyed, just bored.

"I suggest that you rethink your answer", he dropped the smaller man and walked over to a nearby chair. Once comfortably seated Jonathan realised the man was not going to remove himself from his home – _'home?' _– Which meant he didn't have much of a choice. He pulled himself up off the floor, dusted himself off and tried to muster all the dignity he remembered having. Wherever Ra's Al Ghul was staying had to be better than this hovel.

"Very well, I suppose I can hardly say no to such a delightful offer." He had to admit he flinched when the man rose. Sarcasm was a nasty habit, but one he was unlikely to kick. The older man simply smiled and nodded at him. Or at least he thought it was at him. The crack across the back of his skull made him think otherwise. Why couldn't he ever be taken somewhere conscious?

Jonathan had found since beginning his career of crime opening his eyes was getting more and more difficult. Maybe if people would stop conking him on the head it wouldn't be as hard, but asking the Bat Man if he could avoid slamming his fragile skull off the nearest wall seemed pointless and a little humiliating. Unless the Bat actually agreed; then it would just be down right hilarious. No wonder the new addition to Gotham dressed like a clown. He would love to be the one to pick that mans brain apart, but he had to save his energy for the Bat. Or Ra's Al Ghul. He snapped his eyes open, and immediately regretted it. His head throbbed. He thought he'd been in another 'scuffle' with the Bat, suffered some random form of delusion and passed out somewhere. Glancing around at the rather large laboratory from his makeshift bed informed him that he had not imagined the immortal's visit.

Usually the site of a shiny new laboratory – and a large one at that – would fill him with glee, but right now all he felt was a surprising amount of anger. It could have been the throbbing in his skull, or the way the light seemed determined to seer through his retina's that were to blame for his fowl mood. Personally he suspected it was the way that man appeared out of nowhere, giving him that patronising look while that smirk danced across his lips. The way he drawled out "Good Morning", was almost too much for the Scarecrow to bear. **'He's mocking us already', **he growled causing Jonathan to wince. Ra's, obviously, spotted it.

"I take it your friend doesn't take too kindly to our type of transportation", the smirk grew wider, if only for a second, "But in your condition I felt it best you had some much needed rest."

Crane glared at him. He would have punched him but it seemed like a rather pointless exercise. His head hurt already. He settled for glaring and mentally ticking off all the ways he'd love to torture this man. Ra's actually chuckled; "I'd stick to imagining rather than trying. At least your imagination can't turn on you," he paused, "Or can it?" Jonathan felt his teeth grind as Ra's cocked his head to the side, studying him like he was a bug under a magnifying glass. _**He **_was supposed to look at people like that.

The immortal clapped his hands together in what Crane believed to be an unnecessarily loud and annoying way. "Well, I think it's time you get acquainted with your new lab", he gestured with a sweep of his hand.

For the first time since he'd left Arkham Jonathan felt a shudder of excitement as he looked at new equipment that he hadn't had to rescue from skips or abandoned warehouses; equipment without rust or blood or who knows what other bodily fluids smeared on them. He carefully walked along the aisles, letting his fingers dance across the smooth metal worktops. He realised Ra's was watching him, studying him almost. He decided to ignore it.

"Do you have the vaccine?" Ra's nodded the affirmative. "Good. I'll need time to find the active ingredient before I can create a new toxin. I could probably guess and provide you with a quick substitute but that would be a waste of both of our time." Crane adjusted the glasses, annoyed they had the audacity to slip down his nose. Ra's simply stood, waiting to hear what the young doctor needed. Crane cleared his throat, "If you'll just give me the vaccine I can get to work and you can leave and get on with whatever plot you're working on now…" He trailed off when Ra's chuckled. The man seemed to do that a lot.

"You wish me to leave you alone? Very well, I understand it can be difficult to work when you have someone 'breathing down your neck'," he flashed a quick smile that made Cranes stomach feel like lead, "However, given your rather admirable ability to escape and disappear into thin air I believe it would be best to keep an eye on you". A rather non-descript man appeared at Ra's shoulder. "When I am not here, you will have a guard with you. You will work, you will make a new toxin and you will not disappoint me."

Crane gulped, mustered up all the nerve he had, then snorted. "A 24 hour body guard? How delightful. I always wanted to have someone watch my every move. Maybe you can even convince him to give me completely useless tips on how to do my work." Ra's looked rather annoyed. Jonathan felt it was about time he got a reaction from the bastard he'd wasted his good name on. He took a small amount of joy at the fact he could ruffle the man's feathers, though he was not entirely sure what he had said to cause the annoyance. He decided to ponder that later, when he felt he could breathe without the man inspecting him. "So does he have to hold my hand when I go to the toilet? Will he make sure I'm all tucked into bed and not wandering around past my bed time? Or will that be your job?" he let that condescending little smirk fall on his lips, even though he knew he'd regret everything he just said.

Ra's flashed him an almost brilliant, if not rather feral smile, "That would be my job". And with that, he left. Jonathan gaped. The laboratory hummed. The man stared.

He looked at the non-descript man and felt he had to ask, "Did he just make a joke?"

The non-descript man gave him a blank look as he blandly replied; "Ra's Al Ghul does not joke."

Crane nodded, stared at the table, and then back at the man, "So Ra's Al Ghul is going to take me to the toilet and tuck me into bed?"

To give the non-descript man some credit he did pause before shrugging. "Maybe there's an exception to the joke rule."

"Oh good, for a minute I was worried." Jonathan took a sample of the vaccine and began his work, praying that Ra's Al Ghul didn't feel it necessary to teach him a lesson and all the while trying to find the best escape routes. He was pretty sure there were at least two in the ceiling. He felt calmer already.

_**A/N – **Hmmm… Yea the toilet and tucking in joke is rather childish but hey the man is insane. He has the right to be childish now and then. Also this doesn't really follow a time line. I'm just winging it here. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N – **Plot bunnies tried to murder me…_

_**Spoilers **– First movie and possibly second. Batman may make a cameo at some point but damn if I tell you when._

_**Warnings - **This may turn in to slash. I'll give due warning. Mature rating is currently for language, violence and wonderful insanity._

_**Disclaimers **– Still don't own Batman or the characters._

_Normal Italics – Cranes thoughts_

_**Bold Italics – Scarecrows thoughts**_

**2: Bird in a Cage**

Jonathan looked around the laboratory and felt a pang of nostalgia. Of course this time he wasn't going to fall in to the trap of false control. The Immortal was in charge. He always had been in charge. He couldn't understand how he had ever over looked that. _'Pride, I suppose', _he mused to himself as he studied the vaccine that the Bat Man had somehow managed to produce. It annoyed him. It wouldn't be overly complicated to create a new toxin to override the cure, but it was still annoying. He'd never once even considered someone could make a cure. Then again he had thought everyone would be completely and utterly insane.

'_Speaking of insane', _Ra's entered and the non-descript man vanished into thin air. Crane couldn't fathom what the Immortal thought he would achieve this time. The Bat Man would most definitely stop something like this from happening again. In his short bout of freedom he had found it increasingly difficult to get his hands on any chemicals. He may have been completely off his rocker but it really shouldn't have been that hard. Jonathan realised his 'host' had been watching him for sometime, and then realised the man had most likely asked him a question. Usually he would have just asked the person to repeat themselves. However, Jonathan was feeling petty and vindictive so he settled for his favourite blank look instead.

Ra's rolled his eyes and, much to both Jonathan's and Scarecrow's pleasure, let a slight look of frustration break through his usual mask of indifference. "I said, a new villain has emerged in Gotham."

Now this did catch his attention, but Jonathan did his best not to show it. He felt his eyes widen slightly and immediately schooled his face. He would never allow anyone to read him, especially not this man. "How interesting, is he dressed like a clown?"

Ra's Al Ghul stared at him and it took Jonathan a moment to realise that the man had never heard of the Joker. It took another moment for the reality of that to settle in. If Ra's Al Ghul did not know the Joker that meant the immortal had come after him immediately after his resurrection. That showed a determination that Crane wasn't sure he should admire or be terrified off. He settled for a bit of both.

"So far he's robbed a bank and made a few threats. The man is rather insane. You'd probably get along famously." One of these days Crane knew he was going to lose a limb. For some reason, he really didn't care. If he got under the mans skin first he'd happily give up one of his extremities for the pleasure.

Ra's looked slightly less frustrated. "Ah, I see", was all he said before standing next to the ex-doctor, staring down at whatever he was working on. Jonathan ground his teeth and turned to say something when he noticed the man smirking down at him. "Perhaps I can give you some useless tips now? Or should I just proceed to slamming that rather delicate face of yours through the worktop?"

Jonathan gulped. _'Ah, there's the fear', _he mused, _'but no Scarecrow'. _Now that he thought about it, Scarecrow had been silent for most of the day. It was… worrying to say the least. And now he had an immortal man standing mere inches away from him, with a slightly feral look in his narrowed eyes, actually threatening him harm. Not that it was overly surprising but he did expect a reaction at least.

He kept his stare level with those bemused steel eyes and willed himself to stay still. He could feel his muscles trying to twitch, screaming at him to move, but he would not, he could not. Threats were nothing new to him, but he had to admit that once this man had you pinned down with that stare he was absolutely terrifying.

Ra's leaned in, his mouth centimetres from Jonathan's ear. "For a Scarecrow, you are rather brave." It took a full minute and Ra's to be half way across the room before Jonathan actually heard the words. He frowned. The Immortal's breath had been hot on his ear. It took him a little longer to shake of the dread he felt course through him. In that moment he felt an unshakable need to destroy that indifferent stare and tear that insufferable smirk of Ghul's face. He knew attempting it would most likely be suicide, but it was tempting. He stared hard at the blue flower that had started his famous career and felt a smile tug at his lips.

It had been a long day and Jonathan was thankful that the non - descript man had taken the hint and left him to curl up on his cot. Not that he was quite ready to sleep, even if he was exhausted. No, now was the time to truly search this new environment he found himself in. He was right, there were at least two ways to escape through the ceiling, although near impossible to reach therefore he decided to rule them out for now. He stared at the single door and at the walls that surrounded him. _'There must be another way', _he thought to himself. He was half tempted to simply walk out the door, but he'd seen Ghul's men in action before and thought it was best to leave that as well. So the walls; Plain, white, boring, like the asylum. He had never truly understood that. Why did asylums paint their walls white? If patients weren't insane when they arrived they sure as hell were after mere days, and not with his help. He recalled a young artist who had been brought into Arkham while he was still the director. He'd come in suffering delusions and what not – he hadn't really paid much attention. It took him minutes to bleed out, but the masterpiece he had left behind. Every time Jonathan saw a white wall he remembered that maiden painted in red. He wondered if it was still there.

The distraction had cost him. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew that Ra's was in the room with him. It was too late to even out his breathing and feign sleep. That bloody maiden still played behind his eyelids and it made his heart flutter. He was sure the immortal could hear it.

"Are you dreaming Doctor Crane?" Barely more than a whisper but Jonathan felt compelled to look in his direction. He could just make the man out in the shadows.

"Do you make a habit of watching people sleep Mr Ducard? I had a patient who did that. He murdered five women."

"I have murdered many more I am sure, but no, I do not make a habit of watching people sleep, I make a habit of watching people who attempt to elude me."

Crane cursed. The distraction had cost him more than he realised. He should have known the immortal was here. He had probably been here the entire day but Jonathan had been so absorbed in his work, and escape plans, that he'd failed to pay attention.

"I told you I would be keeping an eye on you. I understand your reluctance to work for me once again but we have much work to do and I have little time to consider your feelings on the matter." Scarecrow growled. Jonathan was pleased. It was about time his companion returned.

"I will create a new version of the toxin, for what little it will do. You have no need to lock me in here. I do not wish to escape."

Ra's cocked an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Really", he could hear Scarecrows laughter in his head. He tried not to grin but he was sure the smirk was evident on his face. He was going to break this man, and he was going to take his time. It had been too long since he had a subject to work on and Ra's Al Ghul was a perfect specimen. He tried not to linger on the word perfect. He stared at that elegant arched eyebrow, the small wrinkles around his eyes, that steely grey that could shine brilliant silver, the slight hitch at one side of his mouth showing a permanent smirk. Jonathan closed his eyes and saw the bloody maiden. He would not dwell on that word.

When he opened his eyes he found those silver ones inches from his. Jonathan instantly recoiled, pressing himself against the wall. He watched as a crease formed on the smooth skin of the forehead; a frown.

"Are you alright Doctor? I did not mean to startle you."

Jonathan took a deep breath. Scarecrow fumed. _**"Startle us? How dare he come near us? We will take this man apart! We will show him the meaning of fear!"**_

"I am fine Mr Ghul; you need not worry yourself with me." He felt a sense of peace as he listened to Scarecrow scream inside his mind. He looked at those stormy eyes, and then past them. He felt… blank. He saw the crease grow deeper. A frown. Concern, worry, annoyance, anger. He wondered which the Immortal felt. He found he didn't care. Scarecrow was right. He would show him the meaning of fear. But where to begin? With trust, of course. _'Gain his trust, wipe that indifferent look of his face, and then watch the devastation as we tear him apart'._

"How much did you see in the narrows?"

Ra's blinked, a flash of molten sliver, and then looked away. "Not a lot. I was busy plummeting from a train into the foundations of Wayne Enterprises." He looked back, a look of curiosity. _'Good'._

"It was hellish. People were screaming. Attacking each other, attacking themselves. Even that little bitch DA was there. She tasered me." He motioned to the small circular scars on his face. Ra's nodded slightly, clearly unsure of where this was going. Crane was quite confident that the Immortal was not entirely sure of his mental health – neither was he really – and he was going to play on that. And most importantly, he was not going to lie. _**'Why is that important? What does it matter what you tell him? Just distract him!'**_

'_No lie, nothing to remember', _Jonathan was quick to reassure his counterpart, though he himself wasn't sure why it was important. It was good reasoning, but he had no reason to be honest with this man.

"I watched the bat fly about the city. He looked terrifying. I met him at the asylum, when I was still the good doctor. He poisoned me with my own toxin. It was wonderful." He paused and saw that the crease was back. "It's good to feel fear. You would do well to remember that." He saw the eyes narrow. "It took a while to recover from the taser. When I did, everything was fire and darkness. There were things with claws and nails and teeth. After that there was you. A blur in the darkness." He looked up and found that the crease had changed. Worry. He despised it. Didn't he? "Why did you come after me?" He was curious to see how much though Ra's would put in to that question.

"I am sorry for your plight Doctor Crane. I did not expect B- the Batman to find you." Crane frowned at his slip up. "You are a wanted man, you have suffered greatly from prolonged exposure to your toxin and I know you most definitely want to get even with me as much as the Batman." Ra's retreated in to the shadows. "Be wary of vengeance, for it is a cruel mistress."

Jonathan blinked at the darkness where silver eyes used to be and found that he longed for them to be back. _'Only so I can watch them slip in to madness', _he reassured himself. He was not going to let this man get the better of him again. Last time the Immortal used his pride and self assurance against him. This time he was trying to … what?

Jonathan sighed. Scarecrow fumed. At least some things were in balance.

_**A/N – **Due warning, yea I'm pretty sure this is going to turn in to slash. The plot bunnies are threatening me. Also feel free to complain if I wander off too far from actual characters etc._

_Also, I must give Lauralot credit for the way I set up Scarecrow. I'm not sure I would have done them as two personalities without seeing her work first. _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N – Sorry it's been so long. I got married and moved house so yea… lol. Also lost all my fan fic stuff in the move so had to do this chapter from scratch –sigh-_

_**Spoilers **– First movie and possibly second. Batman may make a cameo at some point but damn if I tell you when._

_**Warnings - **This may turn in to slash. I'll give due warning. Mature rating is currently for language, violence and wonderful insanity._

_**Disclaimers **– Still don't own Batman or the characters._

_Normal Italics – Cranes thoughts_

_**Bold Italics – Scarecrows thoughts**_

**3: Test Subjects and Magpie's**

Jonathan stared at the ceiling of the lab from his makeshift cot. Scarecrow had finally stopped screaming at him for being an idiot. He would have argued that he had a plan, but who was he kidding. The Narrows story was a poor idea, and in hindsight made absolutely no sense. At least it may have added to his 'I'm a nutter' plan, but that wasn't really one he wanted to go with. He found he was rather fed up with being called a psychopath. Most of all he was tired of having people push him around. He'd already done his time with this man, _'And yet he kidnaps me and __**demands **__I make him a new toxin!' _It pissed him off, to put it mildly. He wanted to watch that man writhe in agony, begging Scarecrow to put him out of his misery. With that thought, Jonathan got up.

He made his way to his work bench and stared at the cocktail of ingredients on the table. He looked at the compound he had begun to work on and a smile danced on his lips. _**'We could make a toxin just for him', **_sometimes he loved that Scarecrow could read his mind. Going against Ra's Al Ghul probably would not be the most intelligent thing to do… _**'Think of the screams', **_the last word dragged into a hiss and Jonathan felt a shiver travel down his spine. _'Yes, the screams'. _He set up the apparatus on the work bench beside him, preparing to work on his failed compound. The concentration was wrong, too potent for the Immortals liking, but with a little tweaking it could be used – at double the usual strength. Scarecrow grinned. He set up the new experiment on the table he was using as a cover. _**'He'll never know.' **_Jonathan wasn't sure about that. He didn't have Scarecrow's confidence. The repercussions if he failed would be great and many. _**'He'll never let us go. He'd rather kill us, or maybe he'll keep you as a little pet'. **_He heard Scarecrow roar with laughter. The idea made his blood boil. Or was it Scarecrow's? He wasn't sure anymore.

He almost groaned when the door opened and in walked the bane of his existence. Well, the most recent one anyway. Ra's Al Ghul gave the Doctor a brief glance over before making his way to the nearest work bench. Jonathan waited, but the Immortal merely crossed his arms and leant against the bench. Jonathan took a deep breath and bent his head to his work. He did his best to ignore the compound on the other table, but he knew his eyes kept darting towards it. He almost had heart failure when Ra's stopped beside it, peering down at it through the microscope. He quickly snapped his head back to his work not wishing to draw anymore attention to it than he already had.

Moments later he was engrossed in his work; all thoughts of genocide and revenge out the window. He jotted down notes, momentarily wondering if Ra's would read them, then returned to the microscope. Something was wrong with the process, but for the life of him he could not figure out what it was. It was nothing major, but the fact he seemed to have forgotten how to make his own toxin annoyed him. Granted he'd spent the last month getting his head bashed off things and he was trying to create a toxin that would override the vaccine…

The feeling of a hand suddenly pressed against the back of his neck made him pause. The fingers curled slightly; not quite a squeeze but it made him nervous. _'He could probably wring my neck like chicken.' _He shuddered at the thought. Scarecrow giggled. It was an interesting mental picture, but it didn't really help him much. He felt the thumb and forefinger pinch slightly behind his ears and he swallowed hard.

"Do tell me what you are working on."

Jonathan nearly passed out as the words breathed past his ear. _'He's too close.' _The words repeated like a mantra in his head. He cleared his throat and swore he felt every crease and every callus on that hand as his neck stretched. It was an odd feeling, to say the least.

"I am working on a new toxin that should make the vaccine obsolete. I have also considered trying to make the toxin react with the vaccine, doubling the dose instead of curing the victim." Speaking felt even more odd. The hand shifted slightly. He knew Ra's was against doubling the dose, but it was the best excuse he could think of for how many toxins he'd already screwed up.

"Really? Well that does put my mind at ease." A slight pressure and the hand was gone. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention as the skin cooled. Jonathan turned and was surprised to find the man was actually still behind him, though thankfully a little further away. He stared at the ever present smirk and decided to smirk right back. He opened his mouth to tell the man to fuck off – though hopefully in a more intelligent and dignified way – when two of the non-descript men entered the room. A brief, hurried conversation and Ra's and one of the men left. Jonathan found that annoyed him.

'_**Upset he didn't kiss you goodbye?'**_

Scarecrow could be a git. Jonathan decided to ignore him. He went to work on the "failed" compound, and wished he could triple the potency. Whatever was going on he knew the Immortal would be back sooner or later and he'd be waiting to throw the compound in that damn smirking face.

Unfortunately, it didn't take him long to complete and Jonathan found he had very little to do. He'd almost forgotten what boredom felt like. He was nearly tempted to actually do the job he was "hired" for. Usually he could distract himself, but recently he found it harder and harder to make his mind work. _'It's the toxins fault', _he gritted his teeth and cursed Batman, Ra's and anyone else he could think of.

He stared at the toxin, willing the Immortal to appear. He knew it was both futile and slightly worrying to wish for one's enemy to appear… but dammit, he wanted to know what the great Ra's Al Ghul feared.

'_**And escape?'**_

Jonathan ignored him. He knew escape was the main objective, but not without bringing that man to his knees first. He drummed his fingers on the desk and wondered where the Immortal could have gone. He heard a whisper of movement. He looked up at the nondescript man. He looked down at his toxin, and then back at the guard. He shrugged, _'Why not.' _He walked over towards him and smiled. He looked up at the nearest surveillance camera and raised the beaker in a mock toast. "Thank you so much for your generous donation." The nondescript man blinked. Jonathan threw the compound at him.

For the first few seconds the man wiped blindly at his face; then he started clawing. Scarecrow almost melted when the screaming started. Jonathan watched mesmerised as the man attempted to remove his own face with his fingernails. He'd never used something so potent before. Not intentionally anyway. Then he realised he'd probably never get to again; Ra's would make sure of that. He bent down towards the man writhing on the floor. "What do you see?"

The guard garbled something he couldn't quite make out; then he was airborne. Jonathan collided with a stainless steel table and ended a crumpled heap on the floor. His body screamed but he quickly moved and slammed his back into the nearest wall, just as one of the microscopes smashed into the floor where he used to be. He looked at Ra's and froze. His face hadn't changed, but the eyes… Jonathan blinked and the look was gone; molten steel cooled to silver and the Doctor shuddered. It was unnerving to see.

The Immortal picked up the writhing guard and pinned Jonathan with a look, "Do not move", then he left. Crane did not move; he didn't dare. He looked at the work top and started to shake. He'd used the wrong toxin. "Fuck", he muttered. He started to rock. He was no fool. He knew Ra's would test the toxin and realise what the good doctor had been up to. Sparks flew across his vision; or were they bats? His body felt like it was on fire as he twitched and shuddered and rocked. The bats blurred his vision. Fear. What had the guard said? He felt his body jerk as his head hit the floor. He saw a splash of white in the darkness. He smiled, "One for sorrow."

* * *

Ra's Al Ghul was a patient man. Yet he found himself pacing in his quarters, flexing his fingers, willing himself to focus on something – anything – other than the Doctor. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been tempted to squeeze the life out of someone. What was worse was knowing that Crane knew he was pissing him off; knew that he was pushing him. _'But why?' _The Immortal paused in front of one of his many monitors and stared at the dark haired man shaking against the wall. He watched as the Doctor started to rock, hands over his ears and muttering to himself and turned up the volume.

"Bats."

He cocked an eyebrow at that and smirked. He found the idea that Crane was suddenly scared of bats rather than himself rather amusing, albeit a little annoying. He watched the man crumple in to a heap on the floor and sighed. Sometimes he wondered if there was any merit in the story Crane had told him about the Narrows. He was very certain it was a rouse, yet there seemed to be something behind it. He had seen where Crane had ended up, so it was safe to say the Doctor hadn't done too well in the aftermath of his scheme. Never-the-less, the Immortal decided it was time to remind Dr Jonathan Crane who was in charge here.

Ra's marched into the laboratory and stared down at the still quivering mass that was the Doctor. He was tempted to stomp on the little bastard until he stopped moving but he settled for reaching down and slapping him awake. He enjoyed the look of absolute terror immensely. It was about time Crane learnt his place in life and Ra's was all too willing to teach him. He'd had many vagabonds and egotistic morons turn up at the temple believing they had what it took to join the League of Shadows. It was honestly one of the things he did not miss. He would have to thank Bruce Wayne for forcing him underground. After he stabbed him in the back of course. But this man was not the type of idiot he usually found himself dealing with. Crane's intelligence, and madness, made him dangerous and Ra's knew he had failed to recognise that. He had proof of what the Doctor could do, and proof that the young man had a tenuous rip on sanity at times. _'And this Scarecrow'. _He wasn't sure what to make of that. He'd heard rumours of the man turning into this entirely different persona. Either people were exaggerating or his alter-ego had come to life when Batman fed him his own toxin. "Scarecrow" would turn up with some persuasion he was sure. For now he still had the Doctor himself to deal with.

"My Dear Doctor, whatever are you up to?"

Jonathan opted not to answer. He was quite sure talking would only make things worse.

"Very well, I'll sum things up for you, shall I? I've been quite lax and let you believe that you are allowed to do whatever you wish while you are here. I'm aware this is not the most pleasant situation, but I had mistakenly thought you could be civil through out what I had hoped to be a short transaction. The toxin you tested on my guard was meant for me, of that I am certain. I do not know why you attacked the guard instead but I am guessing patience is not one of your virtues."

Jonathan clamped his mouth shut praying Scarecrow didn't make a sudden come back. One snide remark and he was pretty sure the Immortal would beat him to death.

"Although you have been confined here I had hoped to treat you as a guest."

'_**Liar.'**_

"I gave you access to my laboratory as a sign of good faith."

'_**Liar', **_Jonathan could feel his jaw throb.

"I left a guard with you to assist you if needed and as a means to reach me if you required anything."

'_**Liar!' **_His head throbbed.

"But now I see that was a mistake. You are not a guest, you are here to work. You will stay in this room, but your access to any materials will be severely limited, unless I myself have allowed it. Your only guard from here on shall be me."

Jonathan breathed hard as Ra's hunkered down and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into those steel eyes.

"I am in charge here. You will do as you are told or there will be consequences. The guard was my failure, so you may breathe Doctor."

Jonathan let out a shaky breath and quickly sucked it back in.

"But I will not tolerate anymore of this nonsense."

He felt like a five year old at that comment; except most five year olds don't have the threat of torture and death hanging over their heads. He was starting to hyperventilate.

"I suggest you get some sleep Doctor. We have much work to do."

The moment the Immortal left was the moment Jonathan was able to peel himself from the wall. He stood for a moment, taking in as much air as he could in large, deep gulps. Then he ran for the door. Locked. _'Shit, shit, shit.' _He spun, his body shaking as the panic set in. _'Have to get out, have to get out, have to get out, was that a bat?' _He froze and stared at the ceiling. He spotted a vent at the top of the wall. He started pulling tables and chairs over to the wall, ignoring the noise of apparatus smashing on the concrete floor. He grunted as he slammed his shoulder in to one of the work benches and wanted to scream at it. He wasn't going fast enough. His muscles felt like they were on fire. He still wasn't going fast enough. He was going to get caught. _'Need to go faster. Must go faster.' _He slammed the table into the wall and started pilling the chairs on top and whatever else he could find on top, including his cot. He hauled himself up until he was level with the vent. He pulled and pushed and tried pulling out the screws. He needed a screwdriver. _'Why don't I have a screwdriver?' _He started punching it. He could feel the skin rip and the blood drip down his fingers. _'Why don't I have a fucking screwdriver?' _He kept punching. He tasted blood. He felt his teeth bite down hard on his bottom lip. He paused, breathing heavy, trying to think. He had to get out. His vision was fuzzy.

"Doctor."

_A/N – Finally. Sorry I took so long with this. Don't know if anyone's bothering with it anyway lol. I know it's a lot of dialogue and randomness and mostly from Jonathan's P.O.V but that just seems to be the way it's going at the moment._

_As for the possibility of Slash, I'm really not sure. I'll make sure to warn you._


End file.
